230 acres of land in Pasco will be auctioned off on November 17

PASCO, WA - The Board of Natural Resources authorized the sale of more than 230 acres of vacant state trust land at a meeting today.

For decades the board has managed the state property as farmland, using the income to support public school construction statewide. Now the vacant land is up for sale.

The property will be auctioned off in Pasco on November 17th. Rick White with the city of Pasco says they don't find this property practical for farming anymore.

"Given the fact that the city of Pasco has grown up all around that parcel, actually if the city of Pasco was a target, this property will be right in the middle of it. It'd be the bull's eye," White said.

The land is valued at more than $5.5 million dollars, which will generate revenue for the city.

"They believe it would be better if they could sell it and use the proceeds to buy long-term agricultural property," White said.

The property is composed of five parcels ranging from 21 to103 acres in size. It's located close to residential homes and is also close to Interstate 182 and Road 68.

The minimum acceptable auction bids for the properties will range from $680,000 to just over $1.2 million based on a recent appraisal of current fair market values.

According to White, several companies have shown interest in building in the area.

"The community accepts that given its location it will eventually be the location for housing, schools, parks, commercials appropriate in the zone," said White.

The city of Pasco is now considering different plans to help ease congestion and improve traffic flow in the area.

Long term plans include extending Chapel Hill Boulevard through the property, to take some of the traffic off of Road 68. Other plans include extending Road 76 to go over Interstate 182, but that could be ten to fifteen years away.

If you know anything give them a call at (509) 545-3510. This is a developing story and will be updated.

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